Hi, I’m David Berry

I am an author, speaker, leadership coach and organizational executive who believes without reservation that human beings deserve a human workplace. 

For 30 years I have enjoyed the privilege and great satisfaction of working with leaders and teams at all levels to bring this vision to life and I am grateful to you for your interest in me and my work. 

Currently, I lead the People & Culture function at MUNICIPAL Apparel, LLC, speak and coach through my consultancy, RULE13 Learning, LLC, and lecture in the College of Business at California State University at San Marcos. This variety of experiences and engagements places me squarely in the middle of the conversations that are shaping the future of organizational life and leadership. 

Executive Coaching Leadership

  • Vice President, Leadership & Learning: TaylorMade-adidas Golf (2005-2013)
    • Established and led the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Learning Center, an internal leadership
      development curriculum the heart of which was a coaching initiative in support of the
      company’s top 100 leaders.
    • Co-authored the article, “Developing a Coaching Culture at TaylorMade-adidas Golf”
      which was featured in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations and The
      Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2012)
  • Vice President, People & Culture: MUNICIPAL Apparel Co., LLC (2019-present)
    • Senior leader responsible for the establishment of a learning and development culture
      from the company’s inception.

Recent Coaching Assignments

  • CMO and direct reports of industry leading consumer products organization, in multi-year
    engagement focused on values-based innovation.
  • VP IT and direct reports of leading footwear manufacturer, in multi-year engagement focused
    on service quality amid steeply escalating demand.
  • VP of leading consumer goods organization, focused on leadership impact with direct reports
    and peers.
  • VP of leading apparel organization, focused on executive presence and relationship
    management.
  • Company founders in the eCommerce space, focused on expansion of leadership fluency or
    “getting out of the weeds.”
  • IT leadership team of manufacturing organization focused on building capacity for new project
    management and exemplary customer service.
  • Professional and career development coach for third- and fourth-year business students at Cal
    State San Marcos.

Education, Certifications, and Professional Affiliations

  • Master of Education, Loyola Marymount University
  • Lecturer and Executive in Residence
    • California State University, San Marcos – College of Business Administration
    • University of San Diego – School of Leadership and Education Sciences
  • Graduate of The Hudson Institute of Coaching, Coach Intensive Training
  • Graduate of the Institute for Conversational Leadership
  • PCC accreditation by the International Coaching Federation
  • Certified to administer Myers Briggs Type Indicator
  • Certified in the use of the Hogan Leadership Forecast Series

My first big leadership opportunity came in 2005 when I was invited to join TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company where I eventually became the company’s first Vice President for Leadership and Organizational Development. My team established TaylorMade’s Learning Center, the heart of which was a leadership coaching initiative in support of the company’s extraordinary growth from $600M to $1.6B in revenue.

I graduated from that experience in 2013 and launched RULE13 Learning, LLC where I continue to coach consult, and speak to leaders who are hungry to lead more human, and much more change-ready organizations. Along the way, I have authored two books, A More Daring Life: Finding Voice at the Crossroads of Change (2016) and More Human Than Otherwise: Living & Leading with Humility (2022).

I joined the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos as a lecturer in 2016, starting an affiliation that has been a powerful highlight of my career. Daily, I am challenged by dynamic and driven students to support their learning by expanding my own. I have taught courses on creativity, entrepreneurship, and organizational behavior in addition to coaching and mentoring students as an “Executive in Residence.” Currently, I co-teach one of the college’s flagship courses, “In the Executive’s Chair,” an interview-based seminar featuring senior leaders from across the Southern California region.

I am proud to have had my work featured in the Training Magazine article, “Crafting a Coaching Culture,” the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations and The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2012).

I hold certifications from the Hudson Institute of Coaching and the Institute for Conversational Leadership. I also attended Loyola Marymount University where I earned a bachelor’s in humanities and a master’s in education. While there I sang in the university chorus, an extraordinary experience in the creation of beauty through teamwork made even more meaningful because it’s where I met my wife, Theresa. We have three adult children, a couple of sweet dogs and a lot of gratitude for good health and many happy friendships.

Executive Coaching Leadership

  • Vice President, Leadership & Learning: TaylorMade-adidas Golf (2005-2013)
    • Established and led the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Learning Center, an internal leadership
      development curriculum the heart of which was a coaching initiative in support of the
      company’s top 100 leaders.
    • Co-authored the article, “Developing a Coaching Culture at TaylorMade-adidas Golf”
      which was featured in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations and The
      Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2012)
  • Vice President, People & Culture: MUNICIPAL Apparel Co., LLC (2019-present)
    • Senior leader responsible for the establishment of a learning and development culture
      from the company’s inception.

Recent Coaching Assignments

  • CMO and direct reports of industry leading consumer products organization, in multi-year
    engagement focused on values-based innovation.
  • VP IT and direct reports of leading footwear manufacturer, in multi-year engagement focused
    on service quality amid steeply escalating demand.
  • VP of leading consumer goods organization, focused on leadership impact with direct reports
    and peers.
  • VP of leading apparel organization, focused on executive presence and relationship
    management.
  • Company founders in the eCommerce space, focused on expansion of leadership fluency or
    “getting out of the weeds.”
  • IT leadership team of manufacturing organization focused on building capacity for new project
    management and exemplary customer service.
  • Professional and career development coach for third- and fourth-year business students at Cal
    State San Marcos.

Education, Certifications, and Professional Affiliations

  • Master of Education, Loyola Marymount University
  • Lecturer and Executive in Residence
    • California State University, San Marcos – College of Business Administration
    • University of San Diego – School of Leadership and Education Sciences
  • Graduate of The Hudson Institute of Coaching, Coach Intensive Training
  • Graduate of the Institute for Conversational Leadership
  • PCC accreditation by the International Coaching Federation
  • Certified to administer Myers Briggs Type Indicator
  • Certified in the use of the Hogan Leadership Forecast Series

“All who are willing to lead have work to do in understanding our motivations, values, strengths and opportunities.”

“The most important opportunity is to remember that our leadership is in service of the people we get to lead. It is, in other words, not about us.” 

“Falling down is ok. It’s how we learn. Our job is to equip ourselves with the right resources to get back up again…with confidence, having learned the valuable lessons necessary to go forward.”